Southwest, Virgin America airlines win New York flights

Southwest and Virgin America airlines have won flights to New York’s LaGuardia Airport that are being vacated by American Airlines as part of its merger with US Airways, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

The Department of Justice is requiring US Airways and American Airlines to give up 34 flights at LaGuardia, as well as more than 100 at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan Washington National Airport, in exchange for approving their plans to merge.

{mosads}The paper reported Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has cleared Southwest Airlines for 22 of the LaGuardia flights and Virgin America for the remaining 12.

Attorney General Eric Holder had predicted that the Justice Department’s settlement with US Airways and American would result in more low-cost airlines offering flights to Northeast airports like LaGuardia and Washington’s Reagan National.

US Airways and American are scheduled to finalize their merger on Monday.